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We still have train drivers, even though they're almost, but not quite, redundant. I can't imagine how trucks could be so automated that no driver at all is nee
by Lorento 11y ago
We still have train drivers, even though they're almost, but not quite, redundant. I can't imagine how trucks could be so automated that no driver at all is needed when we don't even do that with trains. Truck drivers will surely still be with us for long enough to retire.
- wodenokoto 11y agoI also think it is weird that they don't start with trains. In Denmark the Metro is operated by a computer, but the whole thing is built around this. The next step to me is not a truck, but a "normal" train that still has to interact with the rest of the train network around it. Then we can move on to trams and then trucks and buses.
- baddox 11y agoTruck drivers probably have a lot more accidents and job performance variability. Also, the railroad engineer's salary is probably an even smaller portion of the load's value than for a truck driver.
- Niten 11y agoDivide the hourly cost of a human railroad engineer by the total value of the goods they transport by train. Then divide the hourly cost of a truck driver by the total value of goods that can fit into a single truck. The latter ratio is orders greater, and that means there's a much higher economic incentive to replace the truck driver than there ever will be to replace railroad engineers. And I would wager this difference in incentives widens when the amount of damage done by inattentive truck drivers vs. inattentive engine drivers is taken under consideration. Besides, operators will probably desire a small crew to watch over their trains anyway for the foreseeable future, regardless of whether a human is in the pilot's seat.